LABC Building Excellence Awards 2025 winner: Best Residential Conversion to a Single New Home

LABC is delighted to announce that the WINNER of the Best Residential Conversion to a Single New Home is Canal View, Solihull.

The conversion of Canal View in Solihull has transformed a disused cattle barn into a stunning family home, featuring five bedrooms with en-suite facilities and an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space. The design focused on retaining the barn’s original character while introducing modern features such as a glazed gable to capture views across the valley and canal below. Sustainability was a key consideration, with the property fitted with an air source heat pump, electric vehicle charging, and insulation values 50% above Part L requirements, resulting in improved SAP and EPC scores.

The building control team at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council worked closely with the site and design teams from the outset to ensure compliance and overcome challenges. These included complex steelwork and pad foundations on a sloping site, resolving escape route issues in the open-plan layout, and incorporating Part M level access to future-proof the home. The project also embraced waste reduction by reusing materials such as reclaimed brickwork for internal feature walls, delivering a high-quality, sustainable conversion that exceeds building regulations.

The judges praised this project for its collaborative approach and sensitive conversion of a disused cattle barn into a family home:  

“Canal View serves as a unique example of collaboration between a conscientious architectural team and an owner who shared a vision to convert an existing disused cattle barn into a single family home. The focus of this vision concentrated on enhancing this barn as the property against the backdrop of the stunning landscape through a feature glazed gable, down into the local hills that the residents and visitors could enjoy.” 

A range of categories celebrated on the night highlight the diverse portfolio of projects delivered within the industry alongside the project teams that are committed to delivering compliant and high-quality buildings for our communities.  

Full list of LABC Building Excellence Awards Grand Final award winners: www.labc.co.uk/awards